With the exception of one of our articling students, the entire legal team in my office (lawyers, paralegals, clerks and administrative assistants) is female. When I started working in my current office ten months ago, I was a bit apprehensive. I had never worked in an all-female environment before, especially not a legal one. Stereotypical worries filled my head: would passive aggression rein? Would it be clique-y? Luckily, my fears proved to be completely unfounded and I’ve come to recognize the many tangible benefits that working in a team of women brings to my practice. Especially as a new lawyer, I feel the skills and habits I have acquired here will serve me throughout my career.
Before I continue, I should disclose that I am a single, second-year-call, female lawyer in her late twenties with no children. Any observations are through this lens.
One of the biggest benefits I have gained in my current position is learning how to work effectively. My colleagues work with a consistently high level of efficiency. I suspect this may be due to the fact that childcare responsibilities force one to quickly become effective with their time. This mentality seems to be shared by the group, however, not only those with children. As a new lawyer, it has been invaluable to watch how others organize their practice so that their time is used to its maximum advantage.
A related skill I have learned is to be creative in the ways that Iwork. While it is expected that one is in the office during business hours, face time in the office outside of the nine to five is not required. This concept has been discussed many times as a solution to helping women succeed in the legal profession. However, I have not seen it put into such general practice before now. There are creative ways one can find to meet demanding deadlines and produce excellent work while still being present in other areas of your life.
Ultimately, the decreased focus on face time has resulted in a major growth in confidence on my part. I focused less on conforming to a specific idea of how one should work; I found the habits and rhythms that allow me produce my best work. The better I feel about my practice, the more confidence I have in dealing with my colleagues, clients, opposing counsel and in hearings.
Finally, one of the most unique aspects of working in an all-female team is the nuanced understanding of the family life I have gained. In the office, childcare is understood, not as a general concept of something that some people do when they aren’t at work, but as something that is a real part of life. As a childless woman who has worked with women who have children for years, it was not until I started working in my current position that I fully appreciated the time commitment and responsibility that is involved in being a parent. There are times when it is necessary to be in the office outside of traditional work (and therefore childcare) hours. Children are often brought into our office and set up at an empty desk or in a boardroom. I have never worked in an environment where this was encouraged or the norm. This creative, yet very simple way of dealing with a common issue allows parents the ability to not have to choose between family and work. As a colleague, meeting and interacting with my co-worker’s children allows me to get to know them on a deeper level. I believe this helps strengthen the team mentality in the office.
No office is perfect, and I don’t think one type of environment is necessarily better than another. However, the differences I have experienced in my current position have added a dimension to my practice that I don’t know I would have gained otherwise. Our profession is desperately trying to hold on to women. And now more than ever I can see exactly why it is so important we do.
About the Author
Emilie Lahaie, Staff Lawyer at Aboriginal Legal Services